Fix: Multiple Loading Spinners In Qiskit VS Code

Hey Qiskit enthusiasts! 👋 We've got a quick fix for a little visual bug in the Qiskit Code Assistant for VS Code. It's all about those loading spinners and how they sometimes like to multiply in your status bar. Let's dive in!

The Issue: Spinner Overload

So, here's the deal. Every time the setLoadingStatus() function gets called, it's designed to show a loading spinner in the status bar. This is super helpful to let you know when something's happening in the background. However, there's a little glitch in the code. Instead of just showing one spinner, it adds a new one each time the function is called. This leads to the loading spinner being concatenated to the existing text, resulting in multiple spinners appearing if loading is triggered rapidly or multiple times. This can look a bit messy and confusing, like this:

Qiskit Code Assistant: Model $(sync~spin) $(sync~spin) $(sync~spin)

Main Keyword: Loading Spinner. The main issue here is that the loading spinner, which should appear once to indicate an ongoing process, ends up being appended multiple times. This is due to the way the setLoadingStatus() function is implemented. Each call adds another spinner to the existing text in the status bar, instead of replacing the previous spinner or ensuring only one is present. This leads to a cluttered user interface and can be confusing for users who might think multiple processes are running simultaneously when it's just the same process triggering the spinner multiple times. To fix this, we need to modify the function to either prevent multiple spinners from being added or to reset the status bar text before adding a new spinner.

Why This Happens: The Code Snippet

Here's the culprit code snippet from src/statusBar/statusBar.ts:

export function setLoadingStatus(): void {
 mainStatusBar.text = mainStatusBar.text + " " + SPINNER;
}

As you can see, this code simply appends the SPINNER to the existing mainStatusBar.text. There's no check to see if a spinner is already present, so each call just adds another one.

Main Keyword: setLoadingStatus() function. The setLoadingStatus() function is at the heart of this issue. Its primary responsibility is to update the status bar with a visual indicator (the spinner) to inform the user that a background process is running. However, the current implementation of this function lacks the necessary logic to handle multiple calls efficiently. Specifically, it doesn't check if a spinner is already present in the status bar before appending another one. This oversight leads to the accumulation of multiple spinners, which detracts from the user experience. The fix needs to ensure that the function either replaces the existing spinner or prevents additional spinners from being added while one is already active.

How to Reproduce the Bug

Want to see this in action? Here’s how you can reproduce the bug:

1. Trigger a completion in the Qiskit Code Assistant.
2. Quickly trigger another completion before the first one finishes.
3. Voilà! You’ll see multiple spinners in the status bar.

Main Keyword: Reproducing the bug. Reproducing the bug is straightforward and involves triggering the loading status multiple times in quick succession. This can be done by initiating a completion task and then immediately triggering another one before the first has completed. The status bar, which is intended to display a single loading spinner, ends up showing multiple spinners as a result of the rapid calls to the setLoadingStatus() function. This reproduction scenario highlights the need for a more robust mechanism to manage the loading indicator in the status bar, ensuring that it remains clean and informative even under heavy usage.

The Fix: A Couple of Solutions

So, how do we squash this bug? Here are a couple of ways to fix it:

Solution 1: Check for Existing Spinner

This is a simple and effective fix. We can add a check to see if the SPINNER is already in the mainStatusBar.text before appending it:

export function setLoadingStatus(): void {
 if (!mainStatusBar.text.includes(SPINNER)) {
 mainStatusBar.text = mainStatusBar.text + " " + SPINNER;
 }
}

This ensures that we only add a spinner if one isn't already there.

Main Keyword: Fixing the bug. Fixing the bug involves modifying the setLoadingStatus() function to prevent the redundant addition of spinners. The first proposed solution introduces a conditional check to ensure that a spinner is added only if one is not already present in the status bar text. This approach is simple and effective, preventing the accumulation of multiple spinners. By checking for the existence of the SPINNER string before appending it, the function avoids creating a cluttered interface. This fix directly addresses the core issue and ensures a cleaner, more informative status bar display.

Solution 2: Store and Restore Original Text

This is a slightly more robust solution. We can store the original text of the status bar and restore it in a setDefaultStatus() function. This ensures that we always have a clean slate when setting the loading status.

This approach involves storing the original text of the status bar before adding the spinner and then restoring this original text when the loading process is complete or when setting the default status. This method ensures that the status bar is always in a consistent state and avoids any potential issues with accumulated text or spinners. It also provides a clear separation of concerns, making the code more maintainable and easier to understand. This solution is particularly useful in scenarios where the status bar might need to display other messages or indicators in addition to the loading spinner.

Wrapping Up

And there you have it! A quick fix for those multiplying loading spinners in the Qiskit Code Assistant for VS Code. This small tweak makes the user experience a bit smoother and less confusing. Keep coding, and happy Qiskit-ing! 🚀